D.J. Williams issues statement in response to suspension

Within the past hour, multiple reports surfaced that multiple Broncos will be suspended to start the 2012 season.

One of those Broncos — linebacker D.J. Williams — has issued a statement regarding his six-game suspension.

“I understand from media reports today that the NFL has announced a suspension based on a specimen that the NFL acknowledges did not contain steroids or any illegal substance,” Williams says in a statement forwarded to PFT by his lawyer, Peter Ginsber. “Instead, the NFL contends that I provided a non-human specimen. I have never failed a test of any kind – for steroids or illegal substances – during my eight-year pro career. I am proud of my record and proud of the way in which I conduct myself as a professional athlete and citizen. We proved — conclusively — at the NFL hearing on this matter that the NFL and its specimen collector wholly failed in their duties to safeguard and process my specimen properly. In fact, the specimen collector was fired by the NFL after compromising my specimen as well as others’. The hearing officer, an NFL executive, ignored the NFL’s own Policy, engaged in inappropriate communications with top NFL officials about this matter without my knowledge or approval, corrupted the system, ignored that my specimen had been compromised, and now has subjected me to humiliation as well as suspension. We will be vigorously pursuing my rights in the judicial system. My suspension is unjust; the NFL has undermined and corrupted its own steroid policy.”

Vic Lombardi of CBS4 in Denver has reported that Williams and defensive end Ryan McBean will file suit in federal court. Which means it’ll be time to go back and get reacquainted with the legal principles that ultimately didn’t help a variety of players avoid suspension for taking a supplement that had been tainted with a banned diuretic.

The so-called Starcaps case arose from a claim that the NFL knew that the supplement had been spiked with the banned substance, but that the league failed to advise the NFLPA. This case will turn on Ryan Braun-style claims that the person responsible for collecting the urine mishandled the sample.

Meanwhile, I’ll likely be spending the rest of the night trying to determine whether a “non-human specimen” is the Italian equivalent of E.T.

didnt williams get a DUI? he is such an upstanding citizen. I will take him at his word. how does one tamper a piss sample to make it non human? did they bombard it with gamma rays? did the incredible hulk piss in the cup for dj williams?

Wait, the collector was fired and the process was found to not have been followed by the hearing officer and the players were still suspended. Wow, NFLPA should fire D Smith and hire Fehr away from the NHLPA as they definitely need a better union with nine years to build it.

Every athlete will cry foul from now on after the debacle of Brian Braun getting away with cheating due to an incompetent specimen collector not following protocols. If these athletes gave specimens that were none human regular suspensions should not go into play with these guys they should be banned for a full year and fined sick of hearing about all the cheaters crying foul.

i love watching the nfl but lets not kid ourselves these guys are juiced out of thier skulls on PEDs, why the hell else would the NFLPA be fighting tooth and nail to avoid the introduction of olympic style tests for HGH and other illegal substances. the statement released by williams is the same as the garbage we hear from most athletes who get caught juicing

I am intrigued by the parade of mindless wags who have to inject Tebow into every article. Let me make something clear. Regardless of Tebow’s abilities or lack thereof, you are not even remotely funny. Give it a rest.

A lot of times people will substitute their urine with somethong like Urine Luck or Quick fix. They are synthetic urine samples sold at most head shops. They are also the same kind of samples Labs use to calibrate their testing machines. The more expensive tests are now able to see the synthetic urine in their tests but I believe the only way they can is if they are Looking for DNA.

thesoupman says:
Mar 9, 2012 7:06 PM
This would’ve made a great episode of Playmakers.
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Man I loved that show. Just re-watched the whose series again recently on DVD. Stupid NFL and stupid ESPN.

A non-human sample would be synthetic urine, made famous by the Whizzinator, and although that object may not be available, synthetic urine is available. And any top lab test can tell the difference between human and synthetic, but most employment-type, dip a strip in a cup tests cannot.